Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, December 11. Also, check out the video and see if you think Mussolini and Trump bear a bit of a resemblance or what.

Paul Krugman: Empowering the Ugliness (“…this ugliness has been empowered by the very establishments that now act so horrified at the seemingly sudden turn of events. In Europe the problem is the arrogance and rigidity of elite figures who refuse to learn from economic failure; in the U.S. it’s the cynicism of Republicans who summoned up prejudice to support their electoral prospects. And now both are facing the monsters they helped create.”)

Trump’s Republican rivals should be thanking him (“He makes their barely-less-crazy rhetoric and ideas seem reasonable by comparison.” So true, IMHO Ted Cruz is more extreme and crazier than Trump; Carson is a total nut; Rubio is a hard-right nutter and lightweight to boot; Fiorina is frothing at the mouth; etc.)

The Trump Effect, and How It Spreads (“The Republican rivals rushing to distance themselves from his latest inflammatory proposal — a faith-based wall around the country — have been peddling their own nativist policies for months or years.”